#AtoZChallenge Day 11: Kindred Spirits

Posted on April 12, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

The idea of Kindred Spirits is something I have become familiar with during recent years, while exploring shamanism and witchcraft.

My interest began when I started ghost hunting, and when I was able to communicate with ghosts and spirits by myself for the first time. Gradually I became aware of many different levels of energy, natural power, and even different ‘dimensions’ of existence, if you like.

Excerpt from Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green with SpookyMrsGreen.com pagan lifestyle blog.
Excerpt from Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green

#AtoZChallenge Day 11: Kindred Spirits

A kindred spirit is a person with whom you feel an instant connection. You may not know them personally, or it may be someone you have grown up with. The connection will be instinctive. If your kindred spirit is a sibling, relative or close friend, you will find yourself intuitively knowing whenever they need help or when they are happy or troubled. They will have the same response towards you. It also becomes appropriate for your lover or life partner, if you have found the person that seems to ‘fit’ your soul.

In the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series there are many kindred spirits among my characters. The first ones that we meet are Jessica Stone and Elizabeth Gormond. The women might as well be sisters, since they feel so comfortable and familiar with each other. Perhaps they shared a past life or two, I don’t know. All will be revealed as the series continues… Then, Jessica meets the Mason brothers, and once again finds herself with people that she knows instinctively. Their relationship is slightly more prickly, but she cannot leave them alone once she meets them, and they feel the same about her.

Unexpected Kindred Spirit

Marcus Scott is a rather unexpected kindred spirit. When Jessica first meets him in Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), he mistakes her for food, and she struggles to accept him as Jack and Danny’s friend. Gradually, he wins her trust, finding himself unable to leave the enchanting witch alone. Against his better judgement, he pursues her, which alternately causes anger and passion between the two. Moving into Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), Jessica has to admit that she relies on Marcus because they are connected on a spiritual level, as much as she detests the fact.

In Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), the complicated relationships between our kindred spirits are tested to the limit. Jack Mason has to fight his vampire maker, and that is a near-impossible task for him. Danny Mason has to fight his urges towards the young and naïve witch, Jessica Stone, while protecting her from his agitated wolf pack. Marcus Scott is unsure of where he stands with Jessica, but knows that he will remain loyal to his friends Jack and Danny no matter what. Throughout all of this, Elizabeth Gormond must decide where her friendship and sisterhood with Jessica is heading after the revelations of vampires and werewolves in their formerly safe and innocent seaside town of Redcliffe.

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, mind body spirit, paranormal romance, Random Musings, Spiritual, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 10: Jessica and Jack

Posted on April 11, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

Jessica Stone and Jack Mason are the heroine and hero of my Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series. At least, that was my original intention. It is funny how the characters write themselves once you give them some freedom!

Jessica is a strong-willed woman, and when she embarks on her  new relationship with Jack in the first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), she has a lot of tough lessons to learn. Jack is quite old-fashioned in his approach, largely because of his age (the vampire is roughly 130 years old!).

Red background with book cover images for #RedcliffeNovels LGBT fantasy book series by LGBT fantasy book writer Catherine Green.
#RedcliffeNovels LGBT Fantasy Book Series for Adults

#AtoZChallenge Day 10: Jessica and Jack

As the story unfolds, Jessica and Jack find themselves thrown into emotional turmoil when circumstances and other characters intervene to try and destroy their relationship. It begins when Jessica is drawn into a feud between the Mason brothers and a fierce werewolf alpha that they have been tracking for the past four years as part of their police work. The battle takes a turn for the worse, the violence increases, and poor Jessica is attacked by the wolf and almost dies as a result of her injuries.

Moving into the second book Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), we find Jessica and Jack coming to terms with their trauma. As a result of what happened with the werewolves, Jessica begins to feel more emotion towards Jack’s identical twin brother, Danny, who happens to be the Redcliffe alpha. Jessica also struggles with her newly discovered heritage as a witch, that has lain mostly dormant throughout her orphan life.

Furious anger and overwhelming love

Tension increases as we race through the Redcliffe saga, with Jessica alternately feeling a furious anger towards Jack, and an overwhelming and powerful force of love. She learns that to love a vampire is to give up a part of your human soul in more ways than one. Jessica finds herself committing acts that she would never even have contemplated before, and Jack is driven to extremes in the torment of his love for a woman that he wants to believe is innocent and pure, and he wants to protect her from the dangers of his life.

By the time we reach the third book, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), we find the ultimate test for our lovers. Jack is seduced once again by his vampire maker, and Jessica struggles to keep a moral distance from his brother Danny. She teams up with the werewolf alpha to try and save Jack from his downfall, while at the same time fighting with her witch familiar about their relationship with the Redcliffe wolves. Needless to say, it is action packed, tense and very passionate!

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 9: Inspiration

Posted on April 10, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

Many people ask me where I got the inspiration for my Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series. Inspiration comes in many forms. That’s a phrase I picked up somewhere a long time ago, and I like the way it sounds.

My inspiration was collected over a period of roughly ten years, when I was finally ready to write my first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel).

Looe Beach in Cornwall. #BookTalk Inspiration for the Redcliffe Novels fantasy book series for adults by vampire writer Catherine Green of SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
#BookTalk Inspiration for the Redcliffe Novels fantasy book series for adults by vampire writer Catherine Green

#AtoZChallenge Day 9: Inspiration

A large source of inspiration is the beautiful country in which I live. I thought for a long time about where exactly I should locate the supernatural town of my dreams. I live in the North of England, and my home town is in rural Staffordshire. I now live in rural Cheshire. Both counties have their charm and amazing scenery. I also toyed with the idea of featuring the city of Manchester, since it too is a beautiful place.

My Muse decided that we needed a coastal town. My thoughts turned to family holidays, a store of memories and wonderful experiences collected over the years. I hit on the perfect place when I remembered Cornwall. It is a county that has managed to step into the 21st century without comprising its heritage and traditional charm. I can use the old pirate stories, ghost stories and other folklore traditions as part of my tapestry.

Inspiration in Cornwall

There was only one part of Cornwall that I focused on for my inspiration. It was the tourist town of Looe, near the Devon border. I have friends who owned a hotel in that town, and so we would visit frequently for weekend breaks and special occasions. I had lots of time to explore the town, enjoy the beach and the sea, and soak up the atmosphere to add to my memories. I also included elements of the fishing village Polperro, because Redcliffe needed a harbour and it resembled the one in Polperro (with a little creative license).


Inspiration for stories does not only include physical location. I needed inspiration for my characters. Where did they come from? Who are they, really? I cannot answer those questions. On the one hand, yes, I created them all. On the other, they came to me, and offered themselves to my stories. The characters tell their stories from their own experience, and I am simply the translator. Their personality traits and physical appearances are modelled on my own friends, family and acquaintances.

Step into my world

Would you like to step into my world? Then check out the first novel, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) for free on Wattpad now for a limited time only. Then you can move on to book two, Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), and book three, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 8: Heroes and Heroines

Posted on April 9, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

A staple part of every story is the hero or heroine. I suppose they are the bread and butter characters of fiction (and non-fiction alike in some cases).

Humans are emotional beings, and we like to identify with our characters, whether they be good or bad, right or wrong in their choices and actions. It is no different for the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series.

Image of book covers from the Redcliffe Novels paranormal menage series. MMF romance. Bisexual and gay romance. Gay werewolf romance. Paranormal author Catherine Green.
Love Hurts A Redcliffe Novel by paranormal author Catherine Green

#AtoZChallenge Day 8: Heroes and Heroines

My heroine of the story is Jessica Stone. She tells her tale, beginning in Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), when she discovers there is more about falling in love than simply having your heart broken. Jessica falls in love with our hero, Jack Mason, although in some instances I would call him more of an anti-hero. Let us explore the themes…

Jessica is not perfect. She is human (at least in the beginning), and she has a temper just like the rest of us. She can be stubborn, awkward, moody and selfish at times. Yet with all that, she is a loving person, and once she falls for someone, she falls hard, as is the case with our vampire police detective. Jack is far from perfect. He is a vampire. He has killed many people, both as a British soldier fighting in the trenches of two world wars, as a police detective on supernatural crimes, and simply as a vampire that needed food. He is proud, domineering, and he likes to be in control of people and situations.

Yet still I consider Jessica and Jack to be the hero and heroine of the Redcliffe novels. This even after Jessica commits murder in Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), and Jack runs away with his vampire mistress in Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). Actually, there are a few more hero and heroine characters in the series. There is Jessica’s human friend Elizabeth Gormond, who represents purity and innocence. And then there is Danny Mason, Jack’s identical twin brother and werewolf alpha. Needless to say, he is not perfect either. But we still love him!

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 7: Guardians

Posted on April 8, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

First off I have to thank my Mum for helping choose an appropriate topic for today’s letter!

I had a few gaps in my alphabet, and was struggling to find links to the Redcliffe novels. Thank you, Mum, for stepping in!

Red background with book cover images for #RedcliffeNovels LGBT fantasy book series by LGBT fantasy book writer Catherine Green.
#RedcliffeNovels LGBT Fantasy Book Series for Adults

#AtoZChallenge Day 7: Guardians

Actually, the topic of guardians has a rather maternal feel, I suppose. In Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) we meet bookshop owners Jessica Stone and Elizabeth Gormond, best friends and business partners who always look out for each other. Then we meet police detectives and identical twins Jack and Danny Mason. They will fight to the death to protect each other, but they are not without their disagreements.

As we progress into Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), we discover more about the relationships between our Redcliffe characters, and how they are connected in an intricate web of care, protection and support. Jessica feels the need to protect Elizabeth from discovering the vampires and werewolves in her town. Elizabeth wants to heal Jessica after her violent attack at the hands of a mob boss. Jack and Danny both want to protect Jessica from future attack, but the closer they all become, the more dangerous her life is.

Further complications arise for Danny Mason when his wolf pack rejects the human woman he tries to introduce. The female wolves are suspicious of Jessica’s intentions, and the pack does not take kindly to strangers. They must protect their own above all else. At the same time they must obey their alpha, Danny, and so they face conflict and uncertainty.

A confused witch, her vampire and her alpha wolf

By the time we read Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) everything has become blurred and confused. Jessica somehow becomes the protector, saving her vampire and werewolf from their enemy and protecting her friends from attack. She struggles with her own inner demons, and seeks support from her new-found witch mentor, Crystal. Jessica’s coven becomes a safe place for her, and she can gradually try to build her new life in the rugged coastal town of Redcliffe in Cornwall.

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

Image of book covers from the Redcliffe Novels paranormal menage series. MMF romance. Bisexual and gay romance. Gay werewolf romance. Paranormal author Catherine Green.
“It’s Complicated” (A Redcliffe Short Story) by paranormal author Catherine Green

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 6: Family and Friends

Posted on April 6, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

One of the reasons I wrote the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series was to explore the themes of love, relationships, friends and family.

As I have grown and matured over the years, I received a lot of hard lessons in love, and not just the romantic kind. Today on the #atozchallenge I will discuss the importance of friends and family, in the context of the supernatural adventures that I describe in the Redcliffe novels.

Red background with book cover images for #RedcliffeNovels LGBT fantasy book series by LGBT fantasy book writer Catherine Green.
#RedcliffeNovels LGBT Fantasy Book Series for Adults

#AtoZChallenge Day 6: Family and Friends

In the beginning of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), Jessica Stone introduces her story by explaining that she never understood the importance of love. She is an orphan with no known surviving family, and she was raised in a foster home during her teenage years. When she was eighteen she set out on her own, working full time and renting an apartment, which is about the time she met Elizabeth. The women hit it off, despite Jessica’s reluctance to make friends and trust another person.

By the time they moved to Redcliffe, Jessica and Liz were like sisters. They know everything about each other, right down to the little behavioural quirks that each woman displays. They are fiercely protective of each other, and when Jessica meets Detective Jack Mason and subsequently enters into a rather turbulent relationship, Elizabeth finds it difficult to keep her distance and not become overbearing in her efforts to protect her fragile friend.

Then we have the Mason brothers. Jack and Danny also have a turbulent relationship, but this one is based around their difference of species. Jack is a vampire. Danny is a werewolf. The men are identical twin brothers, and always protect each other above all else. Although Danny has an intimate relationship with his wolf lieutenants Simon Bunce and Sally Frost, Jack has tried hard not to become emotionally involved with anyone; human, vampire or other. This all changes when he meets Jessica Stone. The two of them try hard to resist their feelings, while indulging in their obvious lust for each other. Of course, it doesn’t work out, and so follows the trauma and excitement of falling in love.

Friends with secrets

Jack has one person that he considers a close friend beside his brother. This is local businessman Marcus Scott, a vampire. Jack and Marcus met many years ago, and Marcus taught Jack a lot about being a vampire after his maker abandoned him during World War One. Marcus moved to Redcliffe for various reasons, not least to provide support for his friends when Danny became alpha of the Redcliffe pack and Jack needed his help. A vampire can be ruthless and detached from the human world, but when they do allow emotion into their consciousness, they become fiercely attached to the recipient of that emotion. What results is passion, power and drama, all demonstrated in Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#AtoZChallenge Day 5: Elizabeth Gormond

Posted on April 5, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

Today I introduce one of the supporting female characters from the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series, Elizabeth Gormond. She is Jessica Stone’s best friend and business partner, and together they own and manage Redcliffe Books.

Elizabeth represents normality for Jessica when her life begins to fall apart towards the end of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). She continues to offer support even when she is ignorant to the existence of vampires and werewolves, but things change when Elizabeth discovers the secrets of Redcliffe town.

#RedcliffeNovels: Shopping in Looe, Cornwall inspiration for LGBT fantasy book series by Catherine Green of SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog. Image credit Cornwall Pictures website.
#RedcliffeNovels: Shopping in Looe, Cornwall (Image credit Cornwall Pictures)

#AtoZChallenge Day 5: Elizabeth Gormond

Elizabeth and Jessica have been friends for over ten years, and they met when they both worked as office administrators in Manchester. Liz is a practical, no-nonsense woman with a strong mind and fierce independence. She was the calming factor on their move to Redcliffe, balancing Jessica’s enthusiasm with a cautious mind that carefully considered all options before taking such a huge step and buying their own business.

Shortly after they moved to Redcliffe, Elizabeth met university professor Robert Gormond. They fell in love and married during the course of three years, and in the Redcliffe novels we follow Liz and Rob as they begin to grow a family. Jessica feels a little envious of Liz when she announces her pregnancy, but she resolves to be an adoptive ‘Auntie’ to the new baby that will be loved very much by the whole family.

Elizabeth is a voluptuous woman, slightly taller than Jessica, and she has short brown hair and brown eyes. Her complexion is naturally tanned due to her mother’s Spanish heritage, but Liz was born and raised in the UK and knows very little of the Spanish language. Her parents and younger brother live in Greater Manchester, and Liz is very happy with her new life in Redcliffe and her loving husband.

Emotional support between friends

Poor Liz struggles to support Jessica emotionally as the adventures unfold in Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). In the beginning Jessica tries to protect Liz from knowing about the vampires and werewolves, but of course her plans do not succeed. Liz discovers everything under very traumatic circumstances, and it tests the women’s friendship to the limit. Love isn’t just about romance. It is about friendship, family, and being there for each other no matter what. This is what Elizabeth Gormond believes, but can she follow through with her convictions when she discovers the secrets kept by her best friend and her husband?

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#AtoZChallenge Day 4: Danny Mason

Posted on April 4, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

The #atozchallenge continues and today we have a little more time to explore the Redcliffe alpha wolf, Detective Danny Mason.

He is a powerful, intense, and passionate man, and I admit he has stolen my heart rather more than I originally intended when I first wrote “Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel).” Tall, muscular, with short black hair and bright blue eyes, Danny has a hypnotic charm that is hard to resist.

Excerpt from Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green with SpookyMrsGreen.com pagan lifestyle blog.
Excerpt from Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green

#AtoZChallenge Day 4: Danny Mason

An identical twin, Danny Mason seems to stumble from one drama to another. He was bitten by a werewolf during the First World War, when at the age of 35, he and Jack were soldiers marching through France and Switzerland. It was Jack’s fault that the men ended up in this predicament. Jack fell in love with a local woman who was a vampire, and she set up a trap intending for a werewolf to kill Danny. It didn’t work, and the brothers spent some time living wild before they were reunited with the British army.

The men found themselves working for the British authorities, eventually training as police officers and then detectives, and now work for a hidden department that polices supernatural crime. On moving to Redcliffe, circumstances transpired in which Danny killed the pack leader, therefore promoting himself to the position of alpha. In the process he met local surfer Simon Bunce, who later became his lieutenant and casual lover, along with local nurse Sally Frost.

Bisexual and gay werewolves

Ah yes, an interesting quirk about Danny Mason is his sexual preferences! He is bisexual and is in love with Simon Bunce, although he will rarely admit it publicly. For one thing, the revelation could damage his reputation as alpha wolf. The wolves are creatures of tradition, and they expect the pack to be led by a male and female who will guide and nurture the younger and weaker wolves as required.

Danny’s attentions were further distracted when he met his brother’s new girlfriend, Jessica Stone. They developed a tumultuous relationship, complicated further when Jessica began to discover her own witchcraft secrets and caused chaos with the Redcliffe wolves. If you want to know more, see the trilogy Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

Image of book covers from the Redcliffe Novels paranormal menage series. MMF romance. Bisexual and gay romance. Gay werewolf romance. Paranormal author Catherine Green.
“It’s Complicated” (A Redcliffe Short Story) by paranormal author Catherine Green

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#AtoZChallenge Day 3: Cornwall

Posted on April 3, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

Location is an important element to any story. I chose Cornwall, England as the location for my Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series.

The town of Redcliffe is fictional, but it is based on the real town of Looe and the fishing village of Polperro in East Cornwall. I have spent many happy holidays in Looe, wandering through the town, enjoying the local shops and sunbathing on the sandy beach that is sheltered by high, rocky cliffs.

Choppy Sea and Jagged Rocks in Cornwall (Image credit unknown) inspiration for LGBT fantasy book series by Catherine Green of SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
Choppy Sea and Jagged Rocks in Cornwall (Image credit unknown)

#AtoZChallenge Day 3: Cornwall

Cornwall has a rugged, romantic appeal to creative minds. In the literary world, it is most famous for the novel Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. She provokes a Gothic enchantment in her writing, and the wild and untamed landscape of rural Cornwall is the perfect setting for her stories of love and passion.

My stories are also about love and passion, which is why I needed an appropriately wild setting. I had to locate Redcliffe on the coast of Cornwall, because the ocean is an important element. I have yet to understand exactly why that is, but I am sure all will be revealed as the series develops. I understand the importance of featuring lots of cliffs and caves, because they conceal the lair of the Redcliffe wolf pack. I draw on tales of pirates and smugglers for my inspiration in this department.

Throughout the first three Redcliffe novels, location features prominently in Jessica’s life-changing experiences. At the very beginning of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), she dreams about being pursued by a monster. Little does she know exactly whom that monster will turn out to be! In Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), the theme continues as Jessica explores the Redcliffe werewolf lair; a series of caves hidden beneath the cliffs that gave the town its name.

In Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), we move away from the seaside just a little, and explore the forest of Redcliffe. This dense wooded area encroaches upon the cliff edge in places, offering an eerie and haunting location steeped in folklore. Rumours have it that wild dogs have been sighted running through Redcliffe forest on a moonlit night, but the townsfolk simply get on with their own quiet lives. Only those who know the town’s supernatural secrets understand the importance of Redcliffe forest as both a hunting ground and sanctuary for its non-human inhabitants.

Merlin's Cave in Cornwall (Image credit unknown) inspiration for LGBT fantasy book series by Catherine Green of SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
Merlin’s Cave in Cornwall (Image credit unknown)

#AtoZChallenge

Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

#AtoZChallenge Day 2: Bookshop

Posted on April 2, 2013 by SpookyMrsGreen: Ghost Hunting, Vampire Books & Paranormal Family Adventures

Today we look at the role of the bookshop in Redcliffe. It is a central location for the stories of the Redcliffe novels LGBT fantasy book series, and offers a mixture of both normality and fantasy to the reader.

Our heroine, Jessica Stone, owns Redcliffe Books along with her best friend and business partner, Elizabeth Gormond.

Booklore bookshop at Dagfields Crafts and Antiques, photo credit Catherine Green of SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
Booklore bookshop at Dagfields Crafts and Antiques

#AtoZChallenge Day 2: Bookshop

I had to feature a bookshop in my novels. I love books, of course! I love bookshops, especially the dusty old ones that sell second-hand books. You never know what treasure you might find buried at the back of ancient wooden shelves, or piled up in corners on the often threadbare carpets. Second-hand bookshops to me are a world of inspiration and adventure.

Redcliffe Books is actually just a regular shop that sells new books. It is small, tidy and smart, but it serves the tourist town very well and makes a comfortable income for Jessica and Elizabeth. The women are very proud of their business. It was the reason they moved to Redcliffe just five years before the story is told in Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel).

Jessica lives in the apartment above Redcliffe Books. Her kitchen is at the back of the building on the ground floor, and provides an unexpected venue for several supernatural battles as we progress through Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). Jessica’s apartment upstairs has a comfortable living room at the front, one double bedroom in the middle, and a bathroom at the back of the building.

A dream I once nurtured

For me, the Redcliffe bookshop represents the dream of a life that I might have led, had I not fallen in love and decided to start a family when I did. I often wonder how different things could have been if I were not with my husband now. There are so many possibilities and options in our human lives, and sometimes I think we need to remember the excitement and promise of all these choices.

I had to talk about the bookshop as part of my A to Z Blog Hop. Any excuse to daydream and wonder at the places that give me so much pleasure in life! Now I invite you to check out my fellow #atozchallenge bloggers. You will find some weird and wonderful articles, and we can all make new friends. See you tomorrow for the next letter in our #atozchallenge.

April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013 with SpookyMrsGreen.com mindful parenting and modern pagan lifestyle blog.
April A-Z Blog Challenge 2013

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Posted in author, british, catherine green, Love Hurts, paranormal romance, Random Musings, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments